Emergencies

On 8 September 2023, an earthquake of an unprecedented scale struck Morocco, killing more than 3,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Two years later, the Fondation de France remains committed to helping the disaster victims, particularly the most vulnerable. The donation appeal helped raise €11.4 million. The Fondation de France has already allocated more than €5.9 million to 66 initiatives throughout the disaster-stricken region of Morocco.

On September 8, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the leading public financial institution for international solidarity, and Fondation de France signed a third partnership agreement, extending a collaboration that began in 2018.

Elisabeth Barbier is a member of Fondation de France's Solidarity with Morocco Committee. Made up of six volunteer experts, this committee was set up in the first days after the earthquake to assess priority needs and examine requests for support.

For over three years, Fondation de France has been mobilizing in response to an ongoing war and humanitarian crisis, supporting populations affected by conflict, internally displaced, or refugees in neighboring countries. With recent weeks marked by unprecedentedly violent bombardments, even reaching areas previously relatively spared, Fondation de France now focuses its support on associative partners active in Ukraine and Moldova, addressing urgent needs with rapid response.

More than two years after the earthquakes that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, humanitarian needs remain immense on both sides of the border. From July 2 to 11, Yosr Dallegi, emergency programs officer at Fondation de France, accompanied by Pascale Moreau, former European director of the UNHCR, and Christine Robichon, former diplomat, visited the region to meet with local NGO partners. Their objective: to assess ongoing needs and supported initiatives amidst the continuing conflict in Syria, and to establish future priorities.

Dominique Boyer is chairman of the Solidarité Mayotte Committee of the Fondation de France. Comprising nine volunteer experts, this committee was established in the first few days after Cyclone Chido to assess priority needs, liaise with local stakeholders and review requests for support. Dominique Boyer was a schools inspector when Hurricane Irma hit Saint-Martin in 2017 and has also lived on Reunion Island, in Guadeloupe and in Polynesia, and is very familiar with the issues specific to the French overseas territories.

Six months after Cyclone Chido struck on 14 December last year, the Mayotte archipelago still bears the scars of this disaster on an unprecedented scale. Already active in the region through risk preparedness initiatives, Fondation de France mobilised from the very first hours after the cyclone hit, in coordination with its local partners in the Indian Ocean. The fundraising appeal raised €43.6 million. €10.3 million has already been earmarked to support 113 initiatives throughout the country to meet the immense needs of the disaster victims.

Karine Meaux, head of Fondation de France’s Emergency Response division, provides an update on the current situation in Mayotte and the organisation’s ongoing priorities in the severely affected region.

On 14 December, a cyclone of exceptional magnitude devastated the archipelago of Mayotte. Already engaged in disaster preparedness efforts on the island, Fondation de France immediately mobilised, reaching out to its nonprofit partners in the Indian Ocean region to launch the first emergency relief actions. The call for donations raised €42 million.

A year and a half after the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on September 8^th, 2023, killing more than 3,000 people and leaving thousands injured and homeless, Fondation de France remains mobilised on the ground to meet the needs of the population. It has already allocated over €5.1 million to 44 initiatives in the affected area. Here is a look back at the last 18 months of support aimed at responding as effectively as possible to evolving needs.